We turn to our favorite barkeeper for lots of things , good and bad – birthdays , promotions , breakups , that time you backed your car into your boss ’ Mercedes – but most of all , for their magic touch sensation behind the bar . The adept bartenders are artist , healer , and scientist all in one . They have illustrious walls of spirits and know how to take one mere spirit and turn it into the proficient cocktail you ’ll ever have . favorable for us , Miami has tons of these cocktail genius . But taking into account their cognition of the craft , mixology skills , creativity , likeability , and the obvious challenger , their drinks , we ’ve proudly named four as our top pickaxe .
If you have n’t tried one of their drink , do so ASAP .
Eleftherios “Lef” Kraounakis
Copper 29
After stimulate a name for himself in Greece , Eleftherios “ Lef ” brought his talents to Miami four age ago . And Magic City drinker triumph . Since then , he ’s helmed top spots like Bâoli , La Mar , and the Mandarin Oriental , and has competed in Bacardi Legacy , Bombay Sapphire , and other cocktail competitions throughout Miami . Most recently , he help launchCopper 29 , Coral Gables ’ novel , chic speakeasy that ( in true Miami - speakeasy fashion ) everyone acknowledge about before it even opened . As fuzz 29 ’s Pb barman , he works with molecular compounds , distinct imbibition vessel , and odd philosophers' stone – like mango tree - infused tequila , red cabbage syrup , 24 thousand edible golden power , and mystery perfumes – to make potent drinks like the acerb Truth that turn whatever you thought would be a “ quick after - work drinking ” into a full centripetal experience . That said , if all you want is a classic , ask him to make an Old Fashioned . “ It ’s my favorite . It ’s so dim-witted , but so flavorful , ” he says . “ you may use fate of smell , house - made sirup , and bitterness , and there are so many combining that it ’s a guaranteed crew - pleaser . ”
Derek Stillman
Pawn Broker
Having teamed up with the holy trinity of Miami cocktail floater –The Broken Shaker , 27 Restaurant , and now the Pubbelly Boys ’ latest construct , the Prohibition - era - inspiredPawn Broker– Derek Stillman realize our list of bartenders of the year is no surprise . As celebrated bar chef of Downtown Miami ’s hottest rooftop spot , Derek always keeps it interesting . He make a mean Last Word , uses out - of - the - box ingredients ( aloe and chorizo salt , anyone ? ) to make goblets of Furiosa cocktails , and do bubbly gin & tonics visit “ Giggle Water ” in mini bathtub . And like a undecomposed bartender , just as much as he loves induce the potable , he loves talk about them . “ I ’ll never forget the first day of training with my current bar team . We broke down all the cocktails I came up with and put our creative mind together , ” Derek says . “ We have a muckle of rage on this team , so we expend the day arguing over something as small-scale as quarter - apothecaries' ounce specific . It sounds pathetic , but to us , that ’s how much we love what we ’re making . ”
William J. Thompson
The Local
After he got back from the Air Force , Will Thompson – who ’s go - to drink is a PBR and a dead reckoning of Jameson – needed a caper . So he work his elbow room up to bartender at P.F. Chang ’s in The Falls , and reveal a warmth for mixology … and for having fun behind the bar . Having since advance a reputation for handcraft cocktail at top spots likeThe Broken Shaker , Ball & Chain , andThe Local , Will team up up with farsighted - time friend and fellow mixologist David Perez to form The Bridge Cocktail Bar , a caller design to bring the cocktail polish of Miami Beach to mainland Miami . Today , Will divides his time betweenBetter Daysand The Local , where The Bridge Cocktail Bar has become a permanent mend , and credits his bar knowledge to the misunderstanding he made along the direction . During his first few months at The Local , his now - mentor belly out up to the bar and asked for a Negroni , which Will had no idea how to make . “ He saw me Google the formula and completely called me out on it , which only got worse when I ended up replicate it and serving it to him in a pint glass , ” Will jokes . “ I was a ‘ baby barkeep ’ then . ” change by reversal that experience into a lesson , Will now involve every young bartender for a Negroni . “ It ’s like a test , ” he says . “ I figure I ’ll either pay it forward or get a good drink . Either way , I ca n’t lose . ”
Seth Weinberg
StripSteak by Michael Mina
Seth Weinberg is the upright thing Missouri gave Miami since … wait , did Missouri give Miami anything actually ? Anyways , he set about his career as a busboy at Chevys Fresh Mex when he was just a teen , pull in a bachelor ’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of Missouri , and when he got ill of the Show Me State , moved to Key West in 2007 . Hopping from Missouri to South Florida to Vegas to Mississippi to South Florida ( again ) , Seth has opened and tend bar at hotspots likeBourbon Steak , The City Grocery , Karu & Y , and Mangoes ( in Key West ) under top James Beard public figure like Paul Orchard , John Currence , Vishwesh Bhatt , and Michael Mina . He is the South Florida trade name representative for New York - based Widow Jane whisky , represent Miami at Diageo ’s prestigious 2015 World Class rival , and most lately , became Miami ’s “ Master of the Mule ” in 2016 . Now the brain behind the bar at StripSteak by Michael Mina at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach , Seth on a regular basis worst up drinks like the MacArthur Causeway , with Tanqueray Old Tom noose and lemon preserve velvet falernum , and The Chairman of the Board with Sinatra Select Jack Daniel ’s , Aperol , and scented vermouth . That said , his best-loved cocktail to fuddle … er , make … is a Sazerac . “ It hail from the Big Easy , and when done right , you get a refreshing drinkable with an awful balance of spicery , citrus , sweet , floral , sulphurous , and redolent constituent , ” Seth says . “ It ’s the complete aperitif before dinner party . ”
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Eleftherios “Lef” Kraounakis|Courtesy of The Dana Agency (PR Agency)
Courtesy of Workshop Collective (PR Agency)
Courtesy of William J. Thompson
Courtesy of Seth Weinberg
